Violent Femmes
5 vinyl records found
Violent Femmes are the Milwaukee trio who merged folk acoustic rawness with punk urgency starting in 1980, creating a sound that sits nowhere else in rock. Their self-titled debut contains some of the most distinctive alternative rock songs ever recorded, and collectors should know the band reunited in 2013 after a four-year split.
About Violent Femmes
The story begins in 1981 when Gordon Gano, Brian Ritchie, and Victor DeLorenzo were discovered busking on a Milwaukee street corner by James Honeyman-Scott of The Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde invited them to open that night, and the momentum led to a deal with Slash Records. They recorded their self-titled debut in July 1982, an album that built a devoted cult following without immediate commercial breakthrough. Songs like Add It Up, Blister in the Sun, and Gone Daddy Gone circulated through college radio and alternative venues, and Blister in the Sun eventually became an alt-rock staple. The album went platinum a full decade after release, proving the staying power of their vision.
The band's music fuses American folk guitar with punk energy, pairing intimate lyrics about desire and yearning with darker themes of sin and redemption. Their early years were marked by coffee house residencies and street corner performances before wider touring. The group lasted until 2009 with various drummer changes (Victor DeLorenzo departed in 1993, Guy Hoffman filling the role until DeLorenzo's return in 2002), after which they split and issued a cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. A 2013 reunion brought new lineups, including Brian Viglione and later John Sparrow on drums, and the band released We Can Do Anything in 2016. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 5 editions across titles including Violent Femmes, Add It Up (1981-1993)[2 LP], Why Do Birds Sing?, Violent Femmes Hallowed Ground Exclusive Limited Azure Blue, and Hallowed Ground.
